Systems and methods for ray tracing

Abstract

Systems and methods for evaluating an optical property of a gemstone operate to trace selected and ordered model light rays through a model of the gemstone. The rays may be selected such that, when ordered into a sequence, the points of contact of successive rays with the gemstone surface generate a pattern defined by a path created by the linking of successive contact points with line segments. Further, the rays may be propagated through the gemstone in a manner that utilizes an ordered set of facet identifiers corresponding to facets impinged upon by a ray previously propagated through the gemstone. Moreover, these strategies can be combined by propagating an ordered sequence of rays corresponding to an ordered set of contact points generating a pattern defined by a path, and using for such propagation an ordered set of facet identifiers corresponding to facets impinged upon by a ray previously propagated through the gemstone.

Description

BACKGROUND[0001]1. Field of the Invention[0002]This disclosure relates to systems and methods for modeling the optical effects caused by the interaction of light with three-dimensional objects, and more particularly, relates to systems and methods for ray-tracing and modeling such effects in a gemstone in order to determine the appearance of a gemstone for use in gemstone evaluation and grading.[0003]2. Description of the Related Art[0004]Diamonds have traditionally been graded based on what is known as the four C's: color, clarity, carat weight, and cut. Other than carat weight which is related to the actual volume (size) of the gemstone, the other three factors attempt to quantify or rank diamonds which are objectively “better” than others. Color refers to the intrinsic color a given diamond appears to be, clarity refers to the purity of the gem when material inclusions or defects are considered, and cut refers to the geometry of the cut. These grading factors are taken into consi...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present patent provides new approaches for modeling the optical properties of gemstones using ray tracing. The first approach involves generating model light rays that impinge on the surface of the gemstone at different locations and directions. The second approach involves using a pattern of successive contact points on the surface of the gemstone to approximate the path of a subsequent light ray. These approaches can be used in conjunction to evaluate the optical properties of a gemstone. The method can also include determining an alteration to the gemstone that would improve its optical properties.

Problems solved by technology

Because of the complexity of a diamond's geometry as well as the different kind of environments in which it may be viewed, purchasing diamonds is difficult on the consumer.

A consumer may look at a diamond and think it is attractive, but a concern might be that this attractiveness is not objectively “better” and that the gem could be overpriced.

Gemstone complexity has led to the development of systems, methods, and apparatus, which can evaluate the characteristics of light passing through a diamond using computer modeling.

Even tracing a relatively small number of rays, e.g., 50,000, however, can still take an enormous amount of time in the aggregate, especially since traditional ray tracing algorithms generally utilize inefficient search techniques which rely on the speed of the computer or processor to provide for a result in a reasonable time (as even a computer using an inefficient methodology may be much faster than a human using an efficient methodology), A computer utilizing such an algorithm may take several minutes to complete the desired analysis.

When the process is to be performed on thousands of diamonds and for multiple aspects of each diamond, this processing time quickly adds up, and can make the system sufficiently inefficient to not be practicable.

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